To stay afloat in Big 12, Texas needs Jericho Sims to stay aggressive

Forward Jericho Sims was among Texas' few bright spots in its loss to Baylor to open Big 12 conference play.

Photo: Rod Aydelotte, Associated Press

AUSTIN — Shaka Smart reckons his team spent more than an hour on Monday working on rebounding. Just rebounding.

He hopes the intended message was received.

“We spent a ton of time on rebounding yesterday,” Texas’ fifth-year coach said Tuesday. “It’s something that’s going to continue to be a huge emphasis — it was a big emphasis going into that game because we knew how dangerous Baylor was, but they just did a better job going after those longer rebounds and some of the balls that were up for grabs.”

It wasn’t just the bigs who heard it from Smart and his staffers. The guards were equally culpable for what happened in last Saturday’s 59-44 loss to Baylor, which jumped up to No. 4 in this week’s Associated Press rankings.

Matt Coleman, Jase Febres, Andrew Jones and Jase Febres all played between 28 to 32 minutes and brought down a combined 12 rebounds. Even that paltry total was superior to 6-9 forward Kamaka Hepa’s rate of one board per 29 minutes.

If not for the work of junior forward Jericho Sims, who corralled six offensive rebounds and 15 total, Baylor’s rebounding edge might have been even more substantive. Still, surrendering 19 offensive rebounds and losing the overall battle 48-35 paints a grim picture however you slice it.

“A lot of it, to be honest with you, is about those guys,” Smart said. “Jericho got his fair shares of rebound but there were probably four or five more he could have or should’ve got. But we can’t expect him to get 18 rebounds a game.

“Our guards, they have to rebound down better. If they’re at the top of the key, the shot goes up and really most teams send maybe three guys to the offensive glass — we need to have five guys in there. It’s something we practice a good amount but it’s something our guards absolutely have to do a better job carrying over.”

Without another big to rely on, Smart might have to implore Sims to step outside his comfort zone. The silent 6-9 Minnesotan has never had to handle such an outsize role at this level and it’s fair to question how successful Texas (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) can be with him as its fulcrum, but options are limited.

Sims did operate with a more aggressive mindset against Baylor. Smart also put him in position to attack from the high post, something the springy forward is capable of but has only occasionally pursued.

One play early on served as an example of what Sims can do when empowered on offense. He received a pass near the elbow, took a couple dribbles, spun away from the defender and soared for a two-handed dunk.

“Jericho loves to dunk and he’s really good at it,” Smart said. “It’s part of the reason we sometimes put him at the top of the key where he can drive and attack, because we want him to do that as much as possible.

“We continually are talking about how we can find ways to get him to take more shots and get more shots out of what we’re doing on the offensive end. Part of that is his responsibly with sealing harder and calling for the ball. That’s never been something he’s done great but I think he’s starting to learn, the more I do that the more I’m going to get the ball.”

Sims will have again have to play beyond his traditional role Wednesday night against Oklahoma (10-3, 1-0) at the Erwin Center. The Sooners aren’t on-par with Baylor in terms of defense and rebounding but they have a stable of willing players led by senior forward Kristian Doolittle, averaging 16.9 points and 9.2 rebounds in 11 games.

Another double-double would be a fine starting point, but Texas wants to see Sims truly impose his will on both ends. Otherwise, the Longhorns could end up in a hole they’re unable to climb out of.

“Jericho really wants to be good,” Smart said. “I know that he may kind of come across with a stoic look and non-emotional look, but that young man has a lot of emotions and strong feelings inside that he’s still in the process of learning how to communicate.

“He takes pride in being the best player he can be and he’s come a long way with his ability to go out and demonstrate that. But at the same time our need for him to demonstrate that is higher than ever.”